BryanGee 
"Please vote for me for the Ironman Spokesmodel."
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Archive for October, 2008
Thursday, October 30th, 2008
Hello my friends. I know this site is about bodybuilding and I hate to get politcal on you but I love this country and I am very afraid at the direction it’s heading. I came across the following letter today and everything that is written is as though this man was reading my mind. I don’t know if this guy is real or not but the words are true!
IF YOU ONLY READ ONE THING, REGARDING THIS ELECTION… LET THIS BE THE ONE THING!!
Please keep an open mind and come Tuesday please let your vote be an informed one. Btw I agree with everything in this letter 100%
An impassioned letter from a ‘nobody’. But he gives his telephone number at the end.
Sent: Monday, August 18, 2008 3:19 PM
Subject: A letter from Ilinois
Dear Friends:
My name is Joe Porter. I live in Champaign, Illinois. I’m 46 years old, a born-again Christian, a husband, a father, a small business owner, a veteran, and a homeowner. I don’t consider myself to be either conservative or liberal, and I vote for the person, not Republican or Democrat. I don’t believe there are ‘two Americas’ but that every person in this country can be whomever and whatever they want to be if they’ll just work to get there, and nowhere else on earth can they find such opportunities. I believe our government should help those who are legitimately downtrodden, and should always put the interests of America first.
The purpose of this message is that I’m concerned about the future of this great nation. I’m worried that the silent majority of honest, hard-working, tax-paying people in this country have been passive for too long. Most folks I know choose not to involve themselves in politics. They go about their daily lives, paying their bills, raising their kids, and doing what they can to maintain the good life. They vote and consider doing so to be a sacred trust. They shake their heads at the political pundits and so-called ‘news’, thinking that what they hear is always spun by whomever is reporting it. They can’t understand how elected officials can regularly violate the public trust with pork barrel spending. They don’t want government handouts. They want the government to protect them, not raise their taxes for more government programs.
We are in the unique position in this country of electing our leaders. It’s a privilege to do so. I’ve never found a candidate in any election with whom I agreed on everything. I’ll wager that most of us don’t even agree with our families or spouses 100% of the time. So, when I step into that voting booth, I always try to look at the big picture and cast my vote for the man or woman who is best qualified for the job. I’ve hired a lot of people in my lifetime, and essentially that’s what an election is - a hiring process. Who has the credentials? Whom do I want working for me? Whom can I trust to do the job right?
I’m concerned that a growing number of voters in this country simply don’t get it. They are caught up in a fervor they can’t explain, and calling it ‘change’.
‘Change what?’ I ask.
‘Well, we’re going to change America,’ they say.
‘In what way?’ I query.
‘We want someone new and fresh in the White House,’ they exclaim.
‘So, someone who’s not a politician?’ I say.
‘Uh, well, no, we just want a lot of stuff changed, so we’re voting for Obama,’ they state.
‘So the current system, the system of freedom and democracy that has enabled a man to grow up in this great country, get a fine education, raise incredible amounts of money and dominate the news, and win his party’s nomination for the White House that system’s all wrong?’
‘No, no, that part of the system’s okay. We just need a lot of change.’
And so it goes. ‘Change we can believe in.’
Quite frankly, I don’t believe that vague proclamations of change hold any promise for me. In recent months, I’ve been asking virtually everyone I encounter how they’re voting. I live in Illinois, so most folks tell me they’re voting for Barack Obama. But no one can really tell me why, only that he’s going to change a lot of stuff.
‘Change, change, change.’ I have yet to find one single person who can tell me distinctly and convincingly why this man is qualified to be President and Commander-in-Chief of the most powerful nation on earth, other than the fact that he claims he’s going to implement a lot of change.
We’ve all seen the emails about Obama’s genealogy, his upbringing, his Muslim background, and his church affiliations. Let’s ignore this for a moment. Put it all aside. Then ask yourself, ‘What qualifies this man to be my president? That he’s a brilliant orator and talks about change?’
CHANGE WHAT?
Friends, I’ll be forthright with you. I believe the American voters who are supporting Barack Obama don’t have a clue what they’re doing, as evidenced by the fact that not one of them - NOT ONE of them I’ve spoken to can spell out his qualifications. Not even the most liberal media can explain why he should be elected. Political experience? Negligible. Foreign relations? Non-existent. Achievements? Name one. Someone who wants to unite the country? If you haven’t read his wife’s thesis from Princeton, look it up on the web. This is who’s lining up to be our next First Lady? The only thing I can glean from Obama’s constant harping about change is that we’re in for a lot of new taxes.
For me, the choice is clear. I’ve looked carefully at the two leading applicants for the job, and I’ve made my choice.
Here’s a question - ‘Where were you five and a half years ago? Around Christmas, 2002. You’ve had five or six birthdays in that time. My son has grown from a sixth grade child to a high school graduate. Five and a half years is a good chunk of time. About 2,000 days. 2,000 nights of sleep. 6,000 meals, give or take.’
John McCain spent that amount of time, from 1967 to 1973, in a North Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp.
When offered early release, he refused it. He considered this offer to be a public relations stunt by his captors, and insisted that those held longer than he should be released first. Did you get that part? He was offered his freedom, and he turned it down. A regimen of beatings and torture began.
Do you possess such strength of character? Locked in a filthy cell in a foreign country, would you turn down your own freedom in favor of your fellow man? I submit that’s a quality of character that is rarely found, and for me, this singular act defines John McCain.
Unlike several presidential candidates in recent years whose military service is questionable or non-existent, you will not find anyone to denigrate the integrity and moral courage of this man. A graduate of Annapolis, during his Naval service he received the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross. His own son is now serving in the Marine Corps in Iraq. Barack Obama is fond of saying ‘We honor John McCain’s service…BUT…,’ which to me is condescending and offensive - because what I hear is, ‘Let’s forget this man’s sacrifice for his country, and his proven leadership abilities, and talk some more about change.’
I don’t agree with John McCain on everything - but I am utterly convinced that he is qualified to be our next President, and I trust him to do what’s right. I know in my heart that he has the best interests of our country in mind. He doesn’t simply want to be President - he wants to lead America, and there’s a huge difference. Factually, there is simply no comparison between the two candidates. A man of questionable background and motives who prattles on about change, can’t hold a candle to a man who has devoted his life in public service to this nation, retiring from the Navy in1981 and elected to the Senate in1982.
Perhaps Obama’s supporters are taking a stance between old and new. Maybe they don’t care about McCain’s service or his strength of character, or his unblemished qualifications to be President. Maybe ‘likeability’ is a higher priority for them than ‘trust’. Being a prisoner of war is not what qualifies John McCain to be President of the United States of America - but his demonstrated leadership certainly DOES.
Dear friends, it is time for us to stand. It is time for thinking Americans to say, ‘Enough.’ It is time for people of all parties to stop following the party line. It is time for anyone who wants to keep America first, who wants the right man leading their nation, to start a dialogue with all their friends and neighbors and ask who they’re voting for, and why.
There’s a lot of evil in this world. That should be readily apparent to all of us by now. And when faced with that evil as we are now, I want a man who knows the cost of war on his troops and on his citizens. I want a man who puts my family’s interests before any foreign country.
I want a President who’s qualified to lead.
I want my country back, and I’m voting for John McCain.
Phone: 760.434.1395
E-mail: ronald.hess@alumni.purdue.edu
Posted in Training
Thursday, October 30th, 2008
Before you read this entry I must tell you that my stress level is on high today so I cannot be held responsible for anything I say or do!
Here’s one thing I know….There is no Justice for a poor man!! You know it’s true!! If you haven’t got a boatload of money to pay the lawyers your ass is going to the steel bar motel baby!!! I mean come on…just look at OJ Simpson. I don’t care what anyone says that dude ginsued his wife and that waiter and if not for his high priced mouth pieces his ass would be on death row right now.
What sweet justice though that Karma finally caught up with his smug thug ass and it looks like they might actually put him away where he belongs.
If that was me though I would have already got the injection and be taking the big dirt nap right now.
Hell now a days you can’t even yell at your kids without worrying about Johnny Law!!
I just read a story about a mother who is being jerked around by Children’s Services because she yelled at her 8 year old who was having a hissy fit at Wal Mart. They are saying it was “excessive verbal abuse.” What a load of feces!
I mean real life is not like the lawyers you see on TV. On TV there are lawyers that are always taking pro bono cases just because they want to see justice served but I’m here to tell ya lawyers like that don’t exist. On the street and in real life you pay over $100 a hour for their precious time and then they present only a half assed defense if you’re even lucky enough to have them take your case…like Forrest Gump…”that’s all I have to say about that!”
Have you ever seen a little girl sitting outside in her yard playing with her baby dolls? I mean is there anything sweeter than that?? I used to love to watch my baby girls playing house with their babies when they didn’t know I was watching. They acted so mature like a couple of mother hens….it was so cute.
Another thing I know….it hurts like hell when you sit on your sack…YEEEEOWWWWW!!!
Did you know that it’s a proven fact that your nose and your ears continue to grow as you get older?? If you live long enough does that mean you will look like a mix between Pinocchio and Dumbo???
I also wanted to let ya all know that I’ll soon receive another honor from BB.com. I’m kind of keeping it on the DL for right now but I’ll give you all the details soon.
Thought for the day….A good friend will be with you through thick and thin but a real friend will be sitting beside you in a jail cell laughing and saying…”Damn we f**ked up!”
Ok I think that is enough rambling for one day. Till next time my curious friends….Lift Long and Prosper. “B”
Posted in Training
Tuesday, October 21st, 2008
I got this comment today from Bodyspace administration…
Today, 3:30pm
Thanks for being such an inspiration to others! You are being featured on the front page of our employee newsletter for November. When it comes out (within a week or two), it will be put up here: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fu n/newsletter.htm
What a trip, huh? It ain’t cover of M&F or top 6 beefcake like my pal Ninja Bill but it’s still pretty cool to me. Thanks BB.com!
Posted in Training
Monday, October 20th, 2008
With the upcoming Presidential elections right around the corner things are really heating up and one of the main issues that seems to get people fired up is the subject of health care. Everyone seems to be very concerned, and with good reason, about the rising cost of keeping ones family insured.
Most of us here on BodySpace don’t really need to worry as much as the rest of the country because we have the best health care plan on the planet and it’s relatively inexpensive and readily available to virtually anyone who wants it.
“What’s that?”
You say you weren’t aware that BodySpace offered a health care plan?
You say you would like to get on the plan?
Well if you’re a BodySpace member chances are you already participate in the health care plan. The plan I’m speaking of, if you haven’t already figured it out, is simply diet and exercise! I mean what better health care plan could you have than living a lifestyle that keeps you from getting sick? How easy is that my friend?
But you know how people are…why would they do anything for themselves when they can have the government do it for them and then bitch about big brother in Washington having their nose in his business. That attitude pisses me off so bad!
Another thing that really ticks me off about healthcare is doctors and the big drug companies. Believe me when I say that “Big Pharma” is not your friend. I mean they have all kinds of drugs that treat the symptoms of the illness and helps us cope with disease but make no mistake their prime directive is to develop new drugs simply to keep dying people alive just a little longer so that doctors can keep supplying them with expensive drugs.
I mean let’s get real here! The big drug companies can’t make money off of cured patients. The big bucks lie with chronically sick people.
Can you name one disease in the past 50 years that has been truly cured? The answer is NO! Cures will never exist as long as medications are developed with one purpose in mind and that is to bring huge profits to the drug companies.
Did you know that about 106,000 people in this country die every year from adverse reactions to drugs? That’s outrageous!
Despite decades of research and billions spent cancer is still the number 2 killer in this country. Did you know that research has shown that if everyone in this country would get an adequate supply of vitamin D each and every day that cancer could be nothing more than a distant memory? Virtually wiped out?
Of course you haven’t because vitamin D can’t be patented and only cost pennies to produce. Actually if you live in an area where there’s lots of sun it’s free since our bodies can convert sunshine to Vitamin D. Instead of telling us that the medical community scares us with stories of sun exposure and skin cancer and treats cancer patients with toxic chemical cocktails that not only kills cancer cells but destroys everything in it’s path including healthy cells.
I truly didn’t mean to go off on such a rant and I apologize for being so long winded but I am very passionate about this subject and it breaks my heart to think of how many people died needlessly in just the time it took me to write this blog. All in the name of profit!
My name is “B” and I approve this message.
Posted in Training
Wednesday, October 15th, 2008
Yesterday I came across a blog by BodySpace member Jim Cipriani user name jimcip72. The title of the blog was “To Make Gains, Progression is the Name of the Game” and the topic of the blog was Progressive Overload. In the words of Mr. Cipriani
“You cannot increase your strength by lifting things that are already easy. For muscular growth stimulation, you must constantly attempt the momentarily impossible. Below a certain intensity of effort, no amount of exercise will produce growth stimulation. For maximum growth stimulation, an intensity of effort that at least approaches your momentary limit is an absolute requirement.”
At the end of Jims blog he provided a link to his website so I went there and read a couple more excellent blogs on Progressive Overload and High-Intensity Bodybuilding. As I read these blogs a light began to come on and I realized that I knew absolutely NOTHING about training intensity or the meaning of training to failure. I thought I did but as I read Jim’s words I had to admit I didn’t….Again, in Jims words
Maximum intensity is only produced when an exercise is taken to a point where another rep would be impossible.
Those words really struck a chord with me…...a point where another rep would be impossible.
Now anyone who knows me knows I’m a pretty intense guy and anyone who’s ever worked out with me (Susan & Maggie) knows that I’m all business in the gym. I lift heavy and I take it very seriously. But, after hearing Jim describe true intensity I realized I was not even approaching true intensity…so as I started my workout yesterday my number one goal was to achieve maximum intensity.
<em />Yesterday was arm day and I set out to take the intensity to a level higher than anything I’d never experienced before. I started with very heavy weight…enough I could only do 6 to 8 reps tops using very strict form. I emphasized the negative reps big time taking as long as 8 seconds to lower the weight and had Maggie help cheat a few reps till my muscles were crying for mercy and I could no longer move the weight on my own. Then instead of stopping I dropped the weight…immediately picked up a lighter weight and banged out a few more reps using the same level of intensity. I continued doing drop sets till even the lightest weight was impossible to move.
OH MY GOD! I could not believe what was happening! My muscles were so pumped I thought the skin was gonna tear and I had veins bursting out everywhere! It was incredible. I had never ever experienced anything like this before! I was sweating like a dog, was about to empty the contents of my stomach, and was making sounds that were strangely sexual sounding! Lol! I used to claim to be a Hard Core Mutha but yesterday I redefined hard core!
I could not believe what was happening! My muscles were so pumped I thought the skin was gonna tear and I had veins bursting out everywhere! It was incredible. I had never ever experienced anything like this before! I was sweating like a dog, was about to empty the contents of my stomach, and was making sounds that were strangely sexual sounding! Lol! I used to claim to be a Hard Core Mutha but yesterday I redefined hard core!<em />Let me tell you my friends if you are truly serious about gaining mass and getting huge and have the guts to take yourself to a level of pain that only a true Hard Core Mutha can endure…do yourself a favor and go read Jim’s blog and visit his site…you won’t be sorry. That is till Mr. DOM’s comes to pay you a visit. LOL!
Posted in Training
Tuesday, October 14th, 2008
Welcome to Tuesday everyone…..UGH! Tuesday is like my least favorite day of the week. Nothing cool ever happens on Tuesday…it just kind of lies there like an old dog scratching fleas and licking it’s beans. Btw do you know why a dog licks its beans??? No….not because it can! It does it because it can’t make a fist. Think about it.
The bulk continues for me and I’m happy to report that it seems to be going well. A male co worker asked me again yesterday if I was on steroids. He just can’t believe that I’ve grown so huge so fast without being juiced. I offered to show him my testicles as proof positive I’m not on the juice but he declined my gracious offer. One of my female co workers offered to view my testicles but I had to decline her gracious offer. Ok enough talk about testicles.
While I’m enjoying the feeling of hugeness I have to say that I’m missing my cuts and my abs. I worked very hard and turned down many a fine and delicious carb to get those lean cuts and now to see them disappear so fast beneath a thin layer of carb induced flubber is depressing. I’m sticking to my plan though…content in knowing that when I start cutting in January my abs will once again appear and will have several pounds of new muscle to keep them company.
One really cool thing about bulking is that I’m now able to get some variety in my diet. Contest prep diet is so damn restrictive and the monotony of it is enough to drive you insane. You walk around in a carb depleted stupor like some kind of damn zombie! But like a regular zombie who seeks out human brains for sustenance carb depleted zombies seek out breads and pastas and the ultimate prize….PIZZA!
Ok that’s all the energy I can muster for a Tuesday blog. Today is biceps and triceps so I have to save all my energy for that. Happy Tuesday!
Posted in Training
Monday, October 13th, 2008
My last couple of blogs I kind of poked a little fun at the younger generation pointing out the difference between now and how things were when I was a young Hard Core Mutha. Looking back on my childhood sure brought back a lot of good memories and I really enjoyed your comments and hearing about your favorite childhood memories.
I think I’m gonna shift gears today though and instead of ragging on the kids I’d like to talk a little about the older folk.
My mom worked in a nursing home for years and years so I saw up close how aging and disease can ravage a human body. I remember walking into the home to visit or pick my mom up from work and dreading walking through that door because I knew what was waiting like some kind of creepy gauntlet on the other side.
I walked through the door and there they were….the old people! Sitting there helpless in their wheelchairs they lined the hall to the front desk. There they sat…in their drug induced stupors…trapped inside their broken bodies… some so bad that they had to be strapped to the chairs to keep from doing a face plant.
As I walked by I could hear their moans and their mindless jabbering and sometimes they would raise a trembling hand in a feeble attempt to reach out to touch me….or touch anyone or…no one in particular. And, horror of horrors…sometimes without meaning to I would make eye contact! And there in their eyes I could see it…and the sight of it would chill me to the bone. The it I’m speaking of was my own mortality. I knew that this was what lie in store for me and the thought of it scared me beyond reason. I shuddered at the thought of me sitting there in that chair…hopeless and helpless just waiting for the sweet relief of death. Being totally dependant on others for everything. This was not living it was existing!
The sad thing is people have a choice. This doesn’t have to be our future….we have the means to keep this from happening if we only apply ourselves a little bit.
One of the problems with being young is we think we have unlimited time to correct our life paths. “Oh I’m still young…a few cigarettes won’t hurt me.” or “I can stop drinking any time” or “ I’ll start an exercise program later I’m not really that over weight.” Well let me tell ya the sand runs pretty quickly through that hour glass and one day before you know it you wake up and later has passed you by and all you’re left with is a boatload of could of, would of, and should of.
Posted in Training
Friday, October 10th, 2008
The other day I wrote a blog about how kids growing up today have it so much easier than I did when I was growing up. Of course I was mostly just trying to be funny but it kind of got me thinking about then and now and I realize the biggest difference is that kids these days never leave the damn house. You practically have to throw them outside! When I was a kid my parents use to punish us by making us stay inside.
Kids just don’t play anymore either. When I was a kid, depending on what season it was, there was always a game going on. And I’m not talking about on TV I mean we were gathered out at a field somewhere or at the basketball court playing ball. These would usually be all day events too. I remember getting out of bed in the summer about 8 O’clock…slamming down a bowl of Cap’n Crunch….hopping on the bike and meeting my friends at the local diamond to play ball. We’d play till lunch time…fly back home and slam some PB sammiches and milk and then fly back down to the field. The game would usually wrap up by 3 because most of us had to get home to get ready for a game that night or for ball practice.
Fall would roll around and every night after homework we met at someone’s yard for a quick game of football or at the court to shoot hoops. Saturday was all day football and I remember my mom getting pissed cause I would always come home with torn and grass stained jeans. We were pretty hard core even back then. I remember breaking my finger once early in a game but instead of going home I tore a strip of cloth from my shirt…tied the finger to the one next to it and kept playing.
Even during the coldest days of winter we played outside. For most of my childhood we lived on the banks of the Auglaze River and I remember how we would meet at this one little spot by the woods with our snow shovels and we would clear the ice to play hockey. We’d build a big fire to stay warm and we played all day. It was freaking awesome
One of my favorite childhood memories was once during an Olympic year, I think 1972, we all gathered in the hood and held our own mini Olympics. I won like 10 Gold Medals! How do ya like that shit Michael Phelps!?! LOL!
These days kids meet at one of their friends house and play Guitar Hero instead of taking the time to learn to play a real guitar and if they play any sports it’s in front of the TV on the Wii! Then it’s off to Micky D’s to slam some big Macs and trans fats! Yummy!
Well friends that’s about all I have time for today but don’t think you’ve heard the last on this subject from me. To be continued……
Posted in Training
Thursday, October 9th, 2008
Have you ever looked enviously at a really successful person and thought to yourself, “Damn!” “That guy is soooooo lucky…everything just seems to fall right into their lap.” Or maybe you looked at a really attractive person and said, “Sure I could look that way too if I had their genes…or their money!” It’s easy for us to look at someone and reason their success as just the product of dumb luck or great genetics because it makes us feel better about ourselves and our shortcomings.
Well let me tell ya a little secret my friends….NOTHING!…and I do mean nothing in this world happens by chance. It’s the choices we make that determine our successes. I repeat….choice not chance determines our success!
That is never more evident than in bodybuilding! It takes more than dumb luck or good genetics to build an awesome physique. It takes hard work and determination and along the way you have to make good choices. You choose to go to the gym when you would rather hit the bar with your friends. You choose to choke down that nasty ass can of tuna instead of a basket of hot wings (my personal fav) or that greasy pizza. You choose to spend hundreds of dollars on supplements instead of sending one of your kids to college….hey a prize winning physique require sacrifices too! The kid can always go to community college or technical school.
Anyway kiddies, the moral of the story is this….instead of sitting around whining and crying about not getting anywhere while others seem to have everything handed to them on a silver platter just take a look at the choices you’ve made lately. I’ll bet you can find lots of places where you could improve.
Posted in Training
Wednesday, October 8th, 2008
Remember when you were a kid how your parents would lecture you about how easy we had it and how much harder things were when they were growing up; what with walking Twenty-five miles to school every morning. Uphill…barefoot…BOTH ways and all that garbage? Sure you do. I’m sure every child hears that at least once growing up.
I know I heard it plenty and I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on kids about how hard I had it and how easy they’ve got it!
But now that… I’m over the ripe old age of fifty I can’t help but look around and notice the youth of today. DAMN! You’ve got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood you live in a damn Utopia!
And I hate to say it but you kids today you don’t know how good you’ve got it!
I mean, when I was a kid we didn’t have The Internet. If we wanted to know something, We had to go to the damn library and look it up ourselves in the freaking card catalogue!! And let me tell ya that thing is a pain in the ass.
There was no e-mail!! We had to actually write somebody a letter with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way to the Post Office and put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there!
There were no MP3′ s or Napsters! You wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the damn record store and shoplift it yourself! Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ’d usually talk over the beginning and f@#ked it all up!
We didn’t have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal and that’s it!
And we didn’t have fancy Caller ID either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your mom, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer,
a collections agent, you just didn’t know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances!
We didn’t have any fancy Sony Playstation video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600!with games like ‘Space Invaders and asteroids and your guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination!! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen….forever!
And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!
You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your ass and walk over to the TV to change the Channel!
And there was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning. Do you Hear what I’m saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little rat-bastards!
That’s exactly what I’m talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You’re spoiled. And it’s kind of the same when it comes to bodybuilding. You have fancy ass machines with LED readouts and bells and whistles! What’s wrong with just slinging some iron around for Christ Sakes? Give me old school any day!
That’s right you spoiled little bastards….not only did I walk twenty-five miles to school every morning. Uphill…barefoot…BOTH ways…I had to walk on glass!
HARD CORE MUTHAS RULE!
Posted in Training
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